In his final press conference, Sean Payton himself said that he thought about just taking a year off, but that wouldn't be fair to Dennis Allen. He didn't say the next coach, he said Dennis Allen. That seemed like a tell that Allen would be the next coach before the coach search even began. It also indicates that Payton also didn't want to do Allen dirty, so he probably didn't try to come back after his year off like the whispered rumors say he did.